Between the following 3 cochlears...

pandaundercover

pandaundercover

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Ok, so, this friday, I am to specify which cochlear I want. My choices are between the AB's Harmony HiResolution, Med-El's Maestro, and the Nucleus 5.

I have read all the 3 booklets I was given, made notes to compare, gots questions for my doctor, but still, I need some insight from people that have had any of them.

So, if you have had any of the 3, I would appreciate if you can tell me your experiences, pros and cons, with the cochlear(s).

So, far, I aiming for the Nucleus 5, because I like the more compact size. Otherwise, the AB is in 2nd because it advertises itself as sounding as much as "normal hearing" as it can get, although, I don't know if that was written before the Nucleus 5 came out or what. So I really don't know which produces more "natural" sound. However, I don't like the size of the AB at all, yet, on the other hand, the entire processor works on its own and the remote, like with the nucleus, isn't supplied/needed.

Thanks.
 
I chose AB for my daughter. I felt that technology was more important than size or looks. I believe that AB is head and shoulders above Cochlear with regard to technology. (I did not investigate Med-El). Cochlear is still using the same speech processing strategies they had in the early 90's. The Nucleas 5 has no improvement over the Freedom, except in size, as well. All around I felt like AB's focus was on better hearing and technology and Cochlear's was on looks and "this device will make everything better".

Here is a comparision chart put out by AB. It focuses on technology differences.

Compare: Harmony vs Nucleus
 
Agreed. I did more research over the past hour and just read the same comparison chart... completely elaborated and answered all my questions. Definitely did not see much of an improvement between the Freedom and Nucleus on that chart either- sad. I'm definitely going for the AB. Plus, there's still the possibility they may upgrade the processor, making it smaller over the next decade. But i figure, what's going IN my cochlea is way more important than the appearance of the outside processor, which are consistently changing.
 
This might be of interest to you...

My audiologist recently mentioned that a patient (who I have met before) decided to go bilateral. When he did his CI the first time around, he chose Med-El. The second time around he chose Cochlear. Of the two, he said that Cochlear was better for speech.

I have the Freedom myself and I have no regrets. It has worked very well for me and enough so with just one (CI) that I can forgo going bilateral.

BTW - I agree the differences between the Freedom and the N5 wasn't enough for me to upgrade.

All three push each other to "keep" up and half the battle is not just technological improvements but tweaking known successful strategies in software. Every time I do my annual mapping, they have something new for me.
 
Do not forget to look towards the future when deciding. Do your research and decide which company will have the best sound processing capabilities in a year or two when you may be able to switch out the external processor.

-C1
 
I'm picking AB for myself whenever I get the implant. I just think I'd do better with AB. I crossed Med-El off my list pretty quickly when I started my research in 2003.
 
I chose Nucleus5 and have no regrets. It is the oldest company of the three, I.E. been around a while and most likely to be here for a while. Small size,Can be used with or without remote, can use rechargeable or throwaway batteries. Have had it active about a month and now understand almost 100% on speech but realize we are all different. That is with just the IC but when used with the hearing aid in other ear I still need quite a bit more experience to get the two to marry together and I'm sure in time they will. Not too good on phone yet but even that I think will come eventually and that probably applies to any of the IC's? Anyway I'm very happy with the Cochlear. Have to admit I was a bit ? ? ? when it was first activated and I did not hear a thing for at least 5 min. then began to come in. Think they were just being cautious so as not to get it too loud. Thought at first it was not going to work but it works flawlessly. They had me skip my 4th appointment because they said I was doing so well it was not needed? will see what happens next week. Think I'm very lucky.
 
Rampratt said:
I chose Nucleus5 and have no regrets. It is the oldest company of the three, I.E. been around a while and most likely to be here for a while. Small size,Can be used with or without remote, can use rechargeable or throwaway batteries. Have had it active about a month and now understand almost 100% on speech but realize we are all different. That is with just the IC but when used with the hearing aid in other ear I still need quite a bit more experience to get the two to marry together and I'm sure in time they will. Not too good on phone yet but even that I think will come eventually and that probably applies to any of the IC's? Anyway I'm very happy with the Cochlear. Have to admit I was a bit ? ? ? when it was first activated and I did not hear a thing for at least 5 min. then began to come in. Think they were just being cautious so as not to get it too loud. Thought at first it was not going to work but it works flawlessly. They had me skip my 4th appointment because they said I was doing so well it was not needed? will see what happens next week. Think I'm very lucky.
Click to expand...

Why'd you chose the Nucleus 5? Cause it seems more trustworthy from being around for 3-4 decades? I know some of the cochlears seem specifically aimed at improving speech, so the decibel range is limited to 45 decibels, compared to the almost 80 db with the AB... would that be a big difference between why someone would pick the Nucleus over the AB? Maybe they don't see a necessity in hearing a wider range of decibels? I mean, when I look at the comparison between the two, the AB seems absolutely more of a deal, internally. Probably depends what the person wants the cochlear to do the most though.

Like, I hear low pitch pretty well, have grown to find high pitch mind numbing, so I'm pretty much aiming at the AB b/c it'll allow me to continue hearing low pitch, which seems to be cancelled out with the Nucleus and Med-El.

Oh, btw, how long did most you have to wait from the moment you started the evaluation process til you actually had the surgery for implantation? I'm assuming I could have it within 6 months, but the evaluation process is going ridiculously fast (will have had 3 appts within a wk in a half on friday).
 
Well I still have all the low tones and then some as far as I'm concerned. DB is sound pressure and not frequency or cycles per sec. 3 db being about the smallest change a normal person with normal hearing can perceive. I enjoy music very much and still do even more now but have to say communication is most important and voice frequency are mostly between 300 and 3000 cycles per sec. I also feel that all of them most likely do a good job. Upgrading is also an important item and the nucleus5 is probably the latest on the market? but may be wrong on that. If it is then to me would mean that probably last longer as it will have later more upgradable technology. After all most of it is in the software.
as to time I would say I was probably 3 months from looking into it until I was using it. Would have to look it up to be sure. As I said earlier, I've had it active about a month and have really started to notice real improvement in last couple of days. Wife says I'm understanding her much more now w/o looking at her when she is talking. Like when we are in the car and I'm driving. Which ever you choose I'm sure it will be right for you.
 
pandaundercover said:
...I know some of the cochlears seem specifically aimed at improving speech, so the decibel range is limited to 45 decibels, compared to the almost 80 db with the AB... would that be a big difference between why someone would pick the Nucleus over the AB? Maybe they don't see a necessity in hearing a wider range of decibels? I mean, when I look at the comparison between the two, the AB seems absolutely more of a deal, internally. Probably depends what the person wants the cochlear to do the most though.

...
Click to expand...

If you are referring to dynamic range, theoretically it can be infinite. Obviously, the brain isn't built for that. No matter which company one chooses, one will never reach as high as those with hearing. Right now, I'm at 50db (with the Freedom) and I know that they have a patient that is at 60db.

It finally hit me that I could easy reach 60db or more the next time around. During my last appt, they were doing the usual testing from the lowest to the highest I could tolerate. I never really got so high as to be uncomfortable except one time. I was going by what appeared to be sensible. Now, I'll be shooting for my "limit" for the whole kabootle. This shift in my thinking came as an epiphany when I realized the full impact of the relationship between dynamic range and my upper thresholds. You might say I'm hungry for more input.
 
sr171soars said:
If you are referring to dynamic range, theoretically it can be infinite. Obviously, the brain isn't built for that. No matter which company one chooses, one will never reach as high as those with hearing. Right now, I'm at 50db (with the Freedom) and I know that they have a patient that is at 60db.

It finally hit me that I could easy reach 60db or more the next time around. During my last appt, they were doing the usual testing from the lowest to the highest I could tolerate. I never really got so high as to be uncomfortable except one time. I was going by what appeared to be sensible. Now, I'll be shooting for my "limit" for the whole kabootle. This shift in my thinking came as an epiphany when I realized the full impact of the relationship between dynamic range and my upper thresholds. You might say I'm hungry for more input.
Click to expand...

Generally you want the C levels to be as comfortable loud as possible. You really do not want any sounds to be uncomfortable loud since it can defeat the purpose of having more dynamic range and there is a limit on how much electric current that the nerve can handle. I can control the dynamic range by adjusting the volume setting which does change the C levels on my implant. I am hungry for more clarity in sounds for speech and for music.
 
My unbiased opinion - all three brands of CI will deliver more/less the same kind of desired result. There is no one brand that is superior than the other, because if there were, doctors across the country would be recommending the better ones. It all boils down to your personal preferences - if your goal is to boost your music listening experience, go with AB as it has a nice T-mic loop. if your goal is to boost your communication skills, go with Cochlear. Ofcourse you can improve music, communication, telephone with all three but all three brands have different accessories, programming strategies, output electrodes, etc.

I was hell bent on AB right from the start, only to later switch to Cochlear last minute and I love it. Half of all CI recipients I know are AB folks. So I believe it will be more/less the same. The reason I chose Cochlear was over reliability, more experienced and better strategies for improving communication skills.
 
john57 said:
Generally you want the C levels to be as comfortable loud as possible. You really do not want any sounds to be uncomfortable loud since it can defeat the purpose of having more dynamic range and there is a limit on how much electric current that the nerve can handle. I can control the dynamic range by adjusting the volume setting which does change the C levels on my implant. I am hungry for more clarity in sounds for speech and for music.
Click to expand...

No worries on that score. I'm quite aware of that aspect. Also, I know they won't let me go overboard either. :D

Yeah, I realized that about the volume control but fundamentally it goes back to the actually mapping of the C levels as a baseline. Get them where they need to be in terms of potential, the rest is simple.

I was just intrigued with the idea of maximizing my potential with the CI. It has been an interesting five years thus far and I look forward to whatever tweaks that will improve my experience. Obviously, this will be a never ending story...
 
I chose the Nucleus Freedom from Cochlear because Cochlear has been around the longest and is considered to be the most reliable. Also they did not have the same problems that AB had with their CIs using the positioners which caused some people to contract meningitis. Cochlear doesn't use positioners at all as it is not necessary. I can hear at an average of 24 dbs across the board with my CI, which is what my audiologist considers to be really good. She said that 25 dbs is what most hearing people hear, the only different is that I don't hear everything they do, but I can hear most things. I hear at 20 dbs on at least two frequencies and 35 dbs at one frequency, the other two frequencies I hear at 25 dbs and that's how she came up with the average of 24 dbs for my audiogram. I have had the Freedom for three and a half years, and I am pleased with it. My CIs (I was provided with a back-up as well) are black which goes with everything and can blend in with my naturally black hair. If you want to learn more about my CI you can click on my link in my signature and read all about my journey. Enjoy!

Be sure to keep your expectations low though.
 
Same here I was for AB since the marketing pitch was saying better for music
than the other brands. I listen to music and go to concerts quite a bit. The reason I switch back to Cochlear was the better chance for a full insertion for the array since my cochlea was not full size. Now, I do not believe that other brands have any special advantage for music.

hugoboss84 said:
I was hell bent on AB right from the start, only to later switch to Cochlear last minute and I love it. Half of all CI recipients I know are AB folks. So I believe it will be more/less the same. The reason I chose Cochlear was over reliability, more experienced and better strategies for improving communication skills.
Click to expand...
 
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Nothing wrong with pushing the envelope and being you own advocate which in turn, goes a long way in getting good results. Good luck

sr171soars said:
No worries on that score. I'm quite aware of that aspect. Also, I know they won't let me go overboard either. :D

Yeah, I realized that about the volume control but fundamentally it goes back to the actually mapping of the C levels as a baseline. Get them where they need to be in terms of potential, the rest is simple.

I was just intrigued with the idea of maximizing my potential with the CI. It has been an interesting five years thus far and I look forward to whatever tweaks that will improve my experience. Obviously, this will be a never ending story...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks guys.

I guess my major problem is trying to understand the different numbers between the AB and Nucleus, on that comparison chart. It just makes me think the higher ranges on the AB make it more advanced with wider options, but then, no one on here is really saying they're picking cochlears based off such options- which makes it seem unimportant. I suppose tomorrow i will just tell the Otolaryngology dude to friggin SHOW me what the difference of the two would result in.
 
pandaundercover said:
Thanks guys.

I guess my major problem is trying to understand the different numbers between the AB and Nucleus, on that comparison chart. It just makes me think the higher ranges on the AB make it more advanced with wider options, but then, no one on here is really saying they're picking cochlears based off such options- which makes it seem unimportant. I suppose tomorrow i will just tell the Otolaryngology dude to friggin SHOW me what the difference of the two would result in.
Click to expand...

I really doubt that your med team will advise/push you into whatever brand they recommend - it is unethical, unless they are endorsing a particular brand. The major differences you would know are in the way the internal part is designed, the accessories offered and the features like music, phone, etc. I have done a careful 4 year research, spoken with countless people and for 3.5 years I had AB in mind only. But I thought over it carefully and asked myself, what is more important I need from this brand and that brand. And that is how I came to a decision. The most important factor to me is reliability, and I picked Nucleus. Good luck in your search, look at all that your med team can offer you. But really, dont rush, take your time to finalize on the brand. And even if you pick Brand A over Brand B, you will still not regret it because CI performance/feedback will be pretty much the same.
 
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